“Well, she would have to be, wouldn’t she? He couldn’t afford to lose another wife in childbirth. Did he marry the woman the moment he buried my mother?” I fought down the turbulent fire and ice building inside me, looking for release.
“Your mother was dead ten years when he remarried.” When I brushed my hands across my eyes, angry at my tears and all the lies, she added, “That’s all I know, Alex.”
“And you expect me to believe that?” When she stayed silent, I left her sitting alone in her gardens. Wandering glumly along the path toward the remains of my destroyed cottage, I headed for the port and the feel of the breeze from Shad’s Bay.
I never reached Port Alain.
Where I thought to find ashes, I found instead my cottage, completely restored. Opening the door, with shaking hands, I went inside, sat before the cold fireplace, knees drawn tight against my chest, and wept.
Chapter Twelve
“Alex!”
Carey’s shout startled me. Lords of the sea, how long had I been sitting in the dark? With ginger movements, I tried to stretch my cramped legs, numb from huddling against the wall for hours.
“Alex! Where are you?”
Muttering to myself about twins who couldn’t leave me to be miserable in peace, I leaned on the wall for support and stood on shaking legs like a newborn pony. “In here.” Voice hoarse, I blinked against the light from the lantern Anders held over the twins’ heads. As they ran into my arms, I staggered back, grateful for the wall behind me. “I must have fallen asleep,” I lied, avoiding Anders’s gaze, knowing he saw right through my deception.
“Grandmother said we’d find you here. Do you like it?” Hunter stepped out of my arms, waiting anxiously for my approval.
“Like it?” I ruffled both heads. “I love it. It’s just like the old one, only better.” Shoving aside my selfish desire to be alone, I let the boys drag me around from room to room, pointing out odds and ends Rosanna had remembered, adding melancholy bitterness to my heartache. Anders trailed behind in respectful silence, holding the lantern.
“Grandmother knew it would make you happy.” Hunter stood quietly by Anders’s side as we came back to the fireplace, while Carey fidgeted, eager eyes roaming the room.
“I told the boys if we found you here, I’d take them back before it gets too late,” Anders said, appraising my mood.
“Walk back with us, Alex,” Carey pleaded as though he’d die a painful death if I didn’t. “Please. Anders said you would.”
Anders shrugged, a wry smile on his face.
“Not tonight.” I tugged at a lock of Carey’s hair.
“But Alex—” he protested.
“Not tonight,” Hunter said with gravity no child should possess, as he nudged his twin. “We’ll see Alex tomorrow.” Eyes grave, he turned back to me for approval. The child had definitely inherited his mother’s sensitivity.
I kissed the top of Hunter’s head. “Tomorrow.”
* * * *
Jules had suggested we meet in his study after I’d given the children their lessons in the schoolroom. No need to take unfair advantage of Lauryn’s good nature, now that I was back. Once I sent my charges on their way home, I went up to the manor house, reaching the study before anyone else arrived. I claimed a seat on Jules’s window ledge, overlooking the harbor and the ships bobbing in the bay. Eyes averted, I waited until I heard the others come in, and took a deep breath to steady my nerves.
“I’m grateful for the cottage,” I said quietly.
“It was the least we could do.” Jules rustled the papers on his desk, moving them to the side. “Mother tried to recreate everything exactly as she remembered it.”
“I’ll repay you both somehow.”
“Don’t you even think like that,” Jules protested, turning to Rosanna, who’d not said a word. “Mother—”
When she only murmured something to please him, I shoved aside the memory of every small detail she’d remembered to replace, deciding then and there I had no time for confused grief. We had serious business to discuss, but I wasn’t up to starting the conversation.
“I have a hazy plan,” Anders said, breaking the uneasy silence when he realized I wasn’t about to take charge.
“Let’s hear it.” Jules rocked his chair back from the desk and propped one foot against an open drawer.
“Alex.” Anders locked eyes with me, and I felt a knot form in my gut. “Will you listen before ripping out my heart?”
“With that kind of warning, I’m not sure.”
Seagray eyes darted to Rosanna, and then back to me. “Suppose we tell Erich that you’re being held for ransom by jealous Glynnswood mages who think your impure and unconventional magic should be destroyed. We have the Glynnswood arrows from the first attack, so our ignorant assumption of a possible connection would be credible. And frankly, maybe it’s not so ignorant. Something’s going on in Edgecliff, bordering right on Glynnswood.” Anders paused to stare at his hands. “If we ask Erich for help, behind Elena’s back, to, ah, avoid Elena worrying about you, I suspect he’ll offer to ransom you himself.”
“You don’t really expect him to do that?”
“Of course not. He’ll let you die and blame it on Glynnswood.”
“What about Elena?” I began to find myself intrigued, in spite of my misgivings, at the possibilities.
“She’s the tough part.” Anders tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “Tell her that your father sent word of your kidnapping. It’ll have to be after Erich leaves to rescue you.” He smiled without humor. “And we’ll make sure he leaves Ardenna by telling him we need his help and no one else’s. We’ll stroke his ego enough to make him go after you himself.”
“That shouldn’t be hard to do,” Brendan muttered, going bright red when we all turned to look at him. “Erich is arrogant enough to believe himself invincible.”
“You’re right. And if we tell Elena the Glynnswood mages demand her presence, we can get her there, too. Make up some story that they want a sum in gold from her treasury and they’ll only accept it from her hands. Knowing your sister, she’d want to go, anyway,” Anders continued, grinning at the young man, though his fingers were still tapping an anxious rhythm. “The rest of my plan involves Jules, Brendan, and me. If we take along some of the Port Alain guards, all of us dressed as Glynnswoodsmen, we’ll avoid an accidental confrontation between Erich’s troops and the real Glynnswoodsmen, who will hopefully help us.” Anders stared at me, and then away.
Jules looked puzzled and gave voice to his doubt. “Won’t Elena be suspicious when she sees us in disguise?”
“She won’t know we’re there until it becomes obvious that Erich didn’t rescue Alex. Only then will we reveal ourselves. At this point, we need it to be obvious that Erich is holding Alex prisoner. Then we can march in and catch them celebrating your sorry end, Alex.” He flashed a charming smile at me.
“I’m touched.”
“It gets better.” Anders looked pleased, probably because I hadn’t yet ripped out his heart. “When Elena confronts Erich, you saunter into camp and expose him. Elena will have enough witnesses to be convinced.”
“It’s an interesting plan,” Rosanna broke her silence from the corner of Jules’s study, “if you can fill in the details and get it to work. But I’m afraid Elena will be very hurt when she knows the part you all played, especially since she’ll be frantic with worry for Alex.”
“There’s no way around it,” Brendan said. “My sister will know we were lying anyway, once Alex shows up alive.”
“I could make it easy for you,” I said lightly, “and simply disappear.” I turned and caught Rosanna watching me with overwhelming sadness. I blinked and turned away.
“As though we’d miss you.” Jules laughed, rocking his chair back and forth. He brought it abruptly to a halt when I eyed the chair with relish. “Don’t you dare.”
I chuckled, though my humor was forced, and refocused on our problem. “There ar
e too many details that can go wrong,” I said in a sobered tone. “Erich may decide not to go. He may be too selfish to risk his own skin. And if he does go, he may not go anywhere near Glynnswood, and there won’t be a confrontation. Not to mention, if there’s really a connection with Glynnswood, it will only complicate matters. We won’t know who to trust.” Under Anders’s cool scrutiny, I added, “I’m sorry, but too many things can go wrong. I don’t like it.”
“What choice do we have?”
“Tell Elena the truth. She’ll be hurt anyway.”
“But which way will be less painful?” Rosanna asked softly, speaking only to me, though Jules and Brendan were oblivious. “That seems to be the crux of the problem. It often is.”
“On what basis would you decide?” I challenged, not bothering to hide the chill in my voice, figuring Jules and Brendan wouldn’t know what I was getting at. “How do you know how hurt she’ll be in either situation?”
Rosanna didn’t flinch. “I don’t. But I’d follow my instinct and hope she put aside her anger and understood her welfare was my primary concern.”
“That’s very risky, old lady.”
Her eyes widened, alert to the possibility of a peace offering. “But well-intentioned. And I’d take the risk anytime because I cared so much.”
“That’s an unconvincing argument I’ve heard before.”
“Then you should be used to it by now.”
Aware of her relief, I laughed in appreciation and turned to Jules, who watched us with a puzzled look in his light green eyes. “I’m sorry, but I’m not comfortable with the plan. Not yet, anyway.”
“We’re running out of time,” Anders’s expression was thoughtful.
“I know. But there’s something telling me to wait.”
He nodded. “Your instinct has been pretty sensitive lately. Does anyone object to waiting a few days?”
One by one, they all shook their heads.
“Anders,” I said, catching his attention when he arched a brow in my direction. “I want to make it perfectly clear, in front of witnesses, that my objection has nothing to do with Sernyn Keltie.”
He turned to Rosanna. “Do you believe her?”
“I’m not sure why, Anders, but, yes, this time I do.”
Chapter Thirteen
“If any of you rowdy children even think I’d let you track mud and dirt through my new spotless cottage, you’re sadly mistaken.” Surrounded by my students during a walk that encompassed fresh air and my goal for their next lesson on trading and the local economy, I halted beside the path leading to the cottage door. “We’re going to Port Alain to see the new ship that’s just arrived from Meravan, remember?”
“Alex, please.” Carey tugged at my light woolen cloak. “Everyone wants to see it.” He gave me a sidelong glance eerily reminiscent of his bothersome father. “Please.”
I graced Carey with my sternest expression, hands on hips, but the child was hopeless. Tapping my boot on the ground, staring at each of them in turn, I released a suffering sigh. “All right.”
As they all gave a shout, knowing full well I would surrender, Carey turned down the path, running toward the door.
My cottage door. My new cottage door.
Lords of the sea, what was wrong with it? Instinct screaming in my head, though I hadn’t a clue why, I shouted. “Carey! No. Stop!”
The six-year-old hesitated for a second at the threshold, one hand resting on the polished oak door. Breathless, I covered the distance between us faster than I thought possible, belatedly realizing from his wide-eyed expression, that Carey would think I was playing with him. He impishly pushed the door open a little, stunned into silence when I tackled him to the ground, arms and legs flying wildly. Eyes closed, my heart nearly stopped when I heard the thud of a well-timed Glynnswood arrow imbed itself in the thick wood.
* * * *
“I’m not overreacting, Jules. I’m reacting, damn it.” Shaking with anger, I refused his attempts to settle me in a chair, though the children were all safe and sound with Khrista and Lauryn. “The longer that Anders and I stay here, the more endangered everyone will be. We’ll go first thing in the morning.” Pacing feverishly, I threw off his restraining hand.
“You can’t just leave.” Green eyes defied me as he stepped in my path.
“Yes, we can.” I walked around him and started to pace again.
“Anders,” Jules pleaded, running a hand through his hair. “Talk some sense into her thick-skulled, stubborn head.”
“There’s nothing he can say to change my mind.” I spun on my heels to face Jules. “Your wife will breathe easier when we’re gone. This incident was a little too close to home.”
“Lauryn would never—”
“She doesn’t have to, Jules,” I snapped, wanting nothing more than to end this useless argument. “She’s a frantic mother of a frightened little boy who just missed being murdered today because of me.”
“Alex.” Rosanna reached out to grab my sleeve, trying to get my attention. “Jules is right.”
“He’s wrong. And I have a plan.” Cutting her off, I stopped pacing, shakily brushing a hand through my tangled hair. “Anders’s idea made me uneasy. But there’s another way, and I think it might work. I’m sending word to—” I tangled my fingers. “To Sernyn Keltie. I want the guide who took Anders and me through Glynnswood to teach me. I need to know how to move as stealthily as he does before we implement the second part of my idea.”
Rosanna met my eyes with anxious curiosity as I continued, though she held her tongue since Jules knew nothing of my half-brother.
“Then Anders and I will go tell Elena we know Charlton Ravess is behind the attacks. Without telling her Erich’s involved in the treachery, it will put Erich on alert. I’ll tell Elena I’m going to Glynnswood alone, leaving Anders to journey back to Port Alain and be available if she needs him.”
Anders tugged at my arm. “I won’t allow it.”
“I don’t need your permission,” I snapped, irritated at everyone’s demands. “Besides,” I added with an exhausted smile, softening my tone, “I was hoping you’d agree to follow me at a short distance.”
“Ah.” Cool seagray eyes appraised me with new interest. “A trap.”
“Precisely.”
“What if neither Ravess nor Erich show up, but send mercenaries?”
“Then we’ll force a confession from the assassin and drag him back to Elena. This trouble can’t go on much longer.”
“I’ll meet up with Anders after you leave Ardenna.”
Surprised, I looked up at Brendan’s quiet words. I hadn’t heard him join us in Jules’s study. “Absolutely not.”
“Absolutely yes. Listen, Alex.” His eyes flashed with a close resemblance to Elena. “I’ve never used my Dunneal authority with you, but I will if you continue to be so stubborn. With me as witness, Elena will have no excuse to defend Erich when we drag him back to Ardenna to confess. She loves you and trusts you with her life, but I’m her brother and heir. My presence as a witness will quiet any attempt to suggest you were mistaken or deceived.”
“He’s right.” Rosanna’s eyes were grim, though her anxiety seemed lessened.
I gave her a knowing look. “Younger brothers are a decided nuisance.”
* * * *
“Alex—”
“Lords of the sea!” I spun around, heart in mouth, dropping my bedroll and gear. “For the lords’ sake, can’t you make noise like a normal person?”
Gwynn’s eyes widened with shy humor as he shrugged. “I am here to teach you to be just as quiet.”
“You have a definite point. But I should warn you, she’s a difficult student. She doesn’t catch on so fast.” Anders stooped to pick up my bedroll, which had landed at his feet. “I hope you’re patient.”
“All Glynnswoodsmen are patient.” He said it with such gravity I found it difficult to stifle a laugh. “Father was pleased that you sent for me.”
“Was he?�
�� I stared at the boy standing innocently in front of me. “Because I asked for you or because I actually wrote to him?”
Gwynn looked sideways at Anders, who kept silent, folded his arms, and met my stare. “Both.”
“Anders?”
“Yes, Alex?” The beast managed to convey years of long-suffering patience in those two words, though we’d only been together a little more than a year.
“Oh, hell, never mind.”
“Have I offended you?” Gwynn’s question was accompanied by eyes round with innocence.
“No.” Anders smiled in reassurance, shifting his pack to the ground. “She just needs to get accustomed to you being around. Right?” He prodded my shoulder.
“Go away.”
“What have I done now?”
When Anders and Gwynn shared a companionable glance, I poked my own finger in Anders’s chest. “Precisely that. You did it again.”
“Did what?”
“You managed to take sides with that, that—” I fumbled for words, “ridiculously polite young fool, and now you’re both conspiring against me.”
“Am I really that horrible?” Gwynn cut in, eyes still wide with innocence. Anders had taught him well in their brief time together.
“You stay out of this discussion. And you” —I turned back to Anders— “do it all the time. With Rosanna, Elena, Jules, Brendan, Khrista, Lauryn, Kerrie. And now this sniveling, stealthy excuse—”
When the two of them exchanged another look and grinned, I stalked away into the woods.
“Do not worry, Anders,” Gwynn whispered as I left the campsite. “She is so noisy I will have no trouble tracking her.”
* * * *
Painful to admit, but the little beast was good. He showed me time and again how to truly see and hear the life surrounding me. The woods I’d always thought silent were noisy with sound and astonishingly colorful. Hidden paths and trails all became visible. But I still couldn’t sneak up on the little pest. He caught me every time, until, that is, we were two days short of our departure for Ardenna.
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